Twist of Fate
by justfallinloveagain
Summary: Julian Larson thought he had everything, until one day when his world changes, for the worse, but maybe also for the better.  Based on CP Coulter's Dalton, JOGAN AU
1. Chapter 1

"Equality for all! All we need is love! You can't deny us our ri - OW!" a brunette man winced as the sharp edge of a board connected with his head.

"Sorry," replied the blonde who was holding the board replied, looking slightly sheepish.

"It's fine," the brunette said, still rubbing his head, then smirking, "Just watch where you're swinging that, alright?"

The blonde rolled his eyes, "Yeah, yeah, it's my first time at one of these, so I'm not really used to the sign carrying and the huge crowds." He looked around, almost in awe at the men and women toting rainbow flags and screaming different phrases.

"Oh. So are you gay yourself, or one of those 'straight but not narrow' guys?" The brunette looked at him curiously.

"Gay. You?"

"No," sounding rather abrupt, "But my brother, Kurt, is. I think he's wandering around here somewhere… I'm Julian."

"Logan. Nice to meet you. Maybe I'll see you around?" The statement came out as a question, but, somehow, Julian had a feeling that he _would_ see Logan again.

* * *

><p><em>Six Months Later<em>

"Derek… My chest still hurts and I'm so damn tired… Do you think I can I use this as an excuse to leave early?" Julian asked sarcastically.

"You know Jules, it's not very healthy to constantly be in pain. Are you sure you don't want to see a doctor about that?"

"Stop overreacting, D. I'm _fine,_" Julian stressed the last word, but the look on his face implied that he wasn't very sure of it himself.

Derek noticed immediately and replied, "Jules, I've known you since the beginning of college. _You. Are. Not. Fine._ Go see a doctor. I'll cover for you."

Julian grumbled, "Fine. Let me just finish this note."

"No. You're going now." With that, Derek grabbed the pen and paper out of Julian's hands, and thrust his coat into his arms instead. He pushed him out of the room and closed the door, only to hear Julian pounding on it two seconds later. "I NEED MY KEYS, ASSHAT."

* * *

><p>"Hi, do you have an appointment?" The receptionist asked in a flirty tone, looking him over, almost predatorily.<p>

Julian felt uncomfortable, but decided to use her flirting to his advantage, "No, I actually don't, but I'm a _very _busy man, and I simply must see the doctor. You can fit me in, right?" He said this as sensually as he could, but considering that he was talking about a doctor's appointment, it wasn't very sexy at all.

Thankfully though, the receptionist seemed very easily swayed, and clicked a few buttons on her computer before saying breathily, "Yeah, you'll be the next one called."

Just as she promised, a nurse poked her head out of the door after a few minutes, and called, "Julian Larson?"

Julian stood up quickly and was shepherded into the small exam room. While he waited for the doctor to come in, he looked around at the posters of smiling people lining the room. Someone may have thought they would cheer people up, but to Julian, they were just cheesy and insincere.

The door slowly turned and he heard the sound of the doctor laughing as he said goodbye to his last patient. Turning around, he smiled at the man in front of him, "Hello! I'm Doctor Saturo."

"Hi, I'm Julian Larson," he said awkwardly.

"So, what seems to be the problem?" Saturo said kindly.

"Well, I've been having pains in my chest for a while now, and I don't think this has anything to do with it, but my arms have some swelling, too. Stupid coworker forced me to come here and check it out," Julian grumbled, but gestured to the limb.

"Let's see," Saturo gently felt at his arm, and his eyes shot up in shock. He looked confused for one second, then concerned the next. He felt the area once more before saying, "you seem to have very large swelling there, Julian. That along with your chest pain makes me think… Well, I'm not an expert in this but… I think it may be Hodgkins Lymphoma, a form of cancer." Julian's eyebrows shot up in shock while Saturo went on, "I- I know this is a huge shock, but there's no way for me to be completely sure. You need to get this checked by an oncologist, and I have the name of a wonderful oncologist in the area. I suggest that you see him as soon as possible."

Julian just stared at him blankly, "C-cancer? You're sure?"

"Like I said, I'm not an expert in cancers, but just by touching your arm, it's obvious that there is swelling there, and it seems to be a cancer tumor."

For the longest time, the doctor talked about the danger of lumps and tumors, before he finally gave Julian a consoling pat on the back, and led him to the receptionist. Saturo whispered something to her, and she looked up at him with eyes so full of pity that he wanted to slap her. He didn't need pity. After all, the doctor said he wasn't certain. Surely, he couldn't have cancer. That only happened to weak, old people. Not him. He was a lawyer for godsakes, one of the best in the country, and there was just no way that he could have cancer.

Nonetheless, he accepted the name and address of the oncologist from the receptionist, and walked out.


	2. Chapter 2

"Julian Larson, you are going to that damn oncologist, even if I have to drag you there myself," Kurt hissed at Julian, eyes blazing and jaw set. "Dr. Satoru is one of the best doctors around, and if he says that may be cancer, then it may be cancer. DAMMIT, JULES, _YOU NEED TO GO_!"

Julian regretted not throwing that paper away immediately after leaving the doctor's office. When Kurt came into Julian's room to grab a pencil, it was just lying on the bed near his discarded coat. Curious, he had grabbed it, leading to their current fight.

"I'M FINE. I sure as hell don't have cancer, so stop bothering me."

"How do you know that? This is what doctors are for. They check you, they _correctly_ diagnose you, they treat you, and then you're done! Why can't you accept this, Julian?"

"I'm not weak. I have a life that I need to go on with, and if-"

"You know what? I don't care if you're not weak, I don't care if you have a life, all I know is that I lost mom, and then I lost dad. There is _no way in hell_ I'm going to lose you too," Kurt's voice cracked as he said the last sentence, and Julian knew there was no way he could refuse.

Seeing this vulnerable part of Kurt had always hurt him, so Julian just took Kurt into his arms and held on tightly. "I'll go Kurt. I don't want to, but I'll go. For you."

* * *

><p>As Julian walked into the hospital, he started to regret promising Kurt anything. Unfortunately for him, he couldn't turn around and go back, because Kurt himself was standing right next to him.<p>

"I'm Julian Larson, I have an appointment to see Doctor Wright?" Julian said to a receptionist, feeling disheartened.

"Oh, yes. Please take a seat, and we'll be with you in just a second," she said with a smile.

As Julian and Kurt sat, they spotted a man and a woman, fighting.

"David, you know I love you more than life itself, but if you ask me _one more time_, if I'm fine, that love may be put into question. Got it?" The brunette woman said firmly, affection lacing her annoyed tone.

The man replied, "If you say so, Katherine. Are you sure, though?" The woman responded by pressing her lips softly against his. Smirking, Julian thought, _So whipped._

A nurse with dark, messy hair called out, "Julian Larson?" Immediately the smirk left his face, to be replaced with a look of apprehension. Kurt gripped his shoulder and squeezed, giving him a look of encouragement, and they both walked into the exam room.

While he examined Julian (who sat, tense with apprehension), the nurse talked to Kurt, saying that his name was Blaine, and he was also personal friend of the doctor's.

As if he was called, the doctor walked in right after Blaine had mentioned him. Julian looked up, and did a double take. That blonde hair and those green eyes looked strangely familiar.

"Hi, I'm Doctor Wright, but you can call me Logan," he looked at Julian curiously. "I think we've met before, though?" Logan said, almost as if it was a question instead of a statement.

"You hit me with a sign at that rally," Julian smirked, and then narrowed his eyes as he tried to recall the meeting. "I mentioned my brother Kurt while I was there, right? Well, this is him."

Kurt smiled at the doctor, but continued talking to Blaine.

"So, what's wrong, Julian?"

"Well, I've been having pains in my chest for a while now and my arms have had a lot of swelling, so my coworker forced me to see Satoru. He said that apparently I have _Lymphoma_?" Julian tried to maintain his composure, but he wasn't able to cover the grimace that he made as he said the taboo word.

Logan nodded and gestured for Julian to hold out the afflicted arm. Feeling it, he said, "Yes, it seems he was right. However, I can't be perfectly sure until I get a lymph node biopsy of the arm. Would you be able to come here tomorrow?"

By this time, Blaine had left and Kurt was now paying attention to Logan. "He'll be there," Kurt said before Julian could put up a fight.

"Perfect. You can arrange everything with the receptionist, then." Logan smiled at them both before walking out.

* * *

><p>"Hello?"<p>

"Hi, may I speak to Julian Larson, please?"

"That's me."

"Hi Julian… It's Logan. I got your results from the biopsy back."

"Oh, yes? How is it?"

"Well, I'm sorry to say that I have no good news to tell you. The swelling in your arm really is Hodgkin's Lymphoma, just as we feared. Could you come to my office as soon as possible so we can go over your options?" Julian lowered his head when he heard this. In the two days after his biopsy, Julian had allowed himself to hope that the doctors were wrong. He had allowed himself to hope that he wasn't suffering from cancer. He had allowed himself to hope that he was safe.

"I can come in tomorrow around one. May I bring Kurt with me?"

"Yes, of course. He's very welcome to come." On the other side of the line, Logan was also miserable. He had never liked this part: when he had to tell the patients the one thing they didn't want to hear. However, he never felt this bad about it. He never before felt as if this was hurting him as much as it was hurting the patient.

"Thank you, Logan. Is there anything else for now?"

"Not as of right now. We can talk more tomorrow. Again, I'm truly sorry, Julian."

* * *

><p>Julian and Kurt walked into the doctor's office for the second time that week, feeling apprehensive, scared, and depressed all at once.<p>

"Hello Julian, Kurt," Logan said. "Please, have a seat. So, from these results, we can see that the lymph nodes have been very swollen and have spread to other nearby lymph nodes. As of now, your options are chemotherapy and radiation. However, I highly encourage the chemotherapy since radiation is normally prescribed for a lower stage of cancer."

Julian looked at Kurt for a moment, before looking back at Logan and replying, "Let's go with the chemo, then. Do you know if it will definitely work?"

Logan shook his head, "This type of cancer is very tricky. The chemo may work, but I can give no guarantees. All I can say is that the majority of my patients who have had this have been helped, if not completely cured, by chemotherapy."

"Thank you, Logan," Kurt said shakily, since Julian seemed too drained to speak. "How often do you think it's necessary to…."

Kurt and Logan droned on and on about the details, while Julian thought to himself. _This can't be happening. Why is this happening?_ Julian couldn't find an answer to this, so he decided to just listen to Kurt and Logan talking: _Yes, there's a chemo therapy center on the floor beneath this…Julian has reached level four lymphoma, which is very advanced…I don't actually do the chemotherapy, but I will be here to guide you through this and Blaine, who you have met, will most likely be there…Yes, he will probably meet with me twice a month, and we can schedule these meetings for right before the chemo appointments._

After all the details had been sorted out, Kurt thanked Logan and shook his hand, motioning for Julian to follow him.

* * *

><p>"Jules, how did it go? You said that doctor guy called you back, but you never said anything else. What happened?" When Julian walked into work the next day, Derek sprung up, peppering him with questions, and looking very concerned.<p>

Julian looked at him with dead eyes, and said the very thing that he had been trying to block: the thing he had been dreading, the thing he had been denying to himself.

"I have cancer."


	3. Chapter 3

"I have cancer."

Derek froze. "Are you sure? Did the docto-"

"Yeah, I have stage four Hodgkin's Lymphoma," Julian said, his tone emotionless.

"Jules… I'm- I'm so sorry," He patted him on the back, looking extremely troubled. A moment later, he gave up, wrapping the other man in a bone crushing hug. Julian immediately stiffened, but then relaxed into the hug and released a choked sob. The emotions that he had been suppressing, in order to save Kurt from even more worry, were pouring out of him like a waterfall.

"I just… This can't be happening to me, I have a life to live, this can't be happening."

"Jules, listen: I am always here for you if you need anything. Always. Got it?" Derek pulled back, and looked at Julian, who was trying to erase any sign of his tears.

Julian laughed softly, "Thanks. I knew there's a reason you're my best friend. It definitely can't be because of your excellent taste in women."

"Speaking of women… that's another reason you can't get rid of me," Derek smirked.

* * *

><p>Julian shoved his arm playfully, "Shut up."<p>

"Hi Julian, Kurt, and… you are?" Logan addressed each man in turn, stopping at the sight of the stranger.

"This is Derek, he's the coworker that forced me to see Saturo about my problems. He's also one of my best friends, though, so he forced me to let him come," Julian rolled his eyes, but looked at Derek, amused.

"Well, I had to make sure he was being treated right."

"I feel like a spoiled celebrity, what with you two acting like my bodyguards," Julian grumbled at Derek and Kurt.

Derek heard this and smiled mischievously, "Well, you do act a little spoiled, Princess Jules."

Logan snickered; full-out laughing when Julian glared at him. Meanwhile, Kurt just stared at the three, amused at the group dynamic. Even though Logan didn't know the other two very well (especially Derek), the atmosphere was relaxed, as if they were long-lost brothers… Five year old long-lost brothers, at that.

After their moment of hilarity, Logan remembered their situation and sobered up. He said to Julian, "Ahem, well, I guess I need to talk to you about the possible side effects of your therapy. After that I'll have Blaine check all your vitals and lead you to the chemo center downstairs. He recently got his degree for administering the drugs, so he will be there almost all the time."

"Alright," Julian said nervously. He didn't really know why he even said anything; he just wanted to fill the void of silence.

"So, you may have some dizziness and light headed-ness, and some people do actually faint. It's different for everyone, and there are some people who feel cold all the time, while others feel perpetually hot. I'm sure you've heard of the hair loss, and it is very likely that you'll get it. If you have extreme pain at any point, then please come here as soon as possible… God, I sound like a commercial, don't I?" Logan laughed weakly, as if trying to diffuse the tension.

Thankfully, Blaine walked in a few seconds later and smiled to everyone, his smile brightening almost unnoticeably when he noticed Kurt there. "Hi, Julian if you could just step out for a bit, I can get your blood test done."

Julian followed Blaine out like a puppy, and allowed him to poke him with the needle without even a flinch. Blaine looked at him with a mixture of sympathy, sadness, encouragement, and curiosity. "Julian, I know this is a really hard time for you, especially because this is a new experience, but we're all here for you. People have had this before, with full recovery. That doesn't guarantee anything, but there's still hope."

"Thanks," Julian looked up at him, eyes still clouded with worry, but at least attempting to smile at him this time.

"Alright, I got it. Go ahead at wait with Kurt and your friend out there, and I'll call you in when the results come back," Blaine said, before disappearing into the lab.

Julian followed Blaine's orders and went out, choosing to sit in between Kurt and Derek. They talked for about forty minutes before Blaine came back and called-

"Julian?"

Again, Julian followed like a puppy, and went into the chemotherapy room. Blaine explained the process to him, and then gave him a few ice chips and a cooling pad. "This is for your mouth and your hands. The drugs are extremely harmful to your extremities, so the cooling pad can stop your fingers from becoming damaged, and the ice chips will prevent mouth sores," he explained slowly, while he readied the drugs.

He poked a needle into Julian's forearm for the second time that day, and hooked up the chemicals. He allowed it to drip, and they both just waited it out.

As Julian waited, he decided to attempt to sort out his jumble of thoughts. His health problems weren't something he wanted to focus on, so his mind turned to work as a distraction. A woman was trying to sue her ex-husband for the mental health care bills she accrued from the therapy she needed after their multitude of problems. He shook his head, amusedly, wondering how on earth this couple was together in the first place. The woman had major temper issues, while the man was actually relatively nice. A bit weird (he did carry around a gavel everywhere), but still a good guy.

However, thinking about work while also worrying about his health was giving him a headache, so he just let his mind drift…

_2 and a half hours later_

"Julian?" Jules looked up, startled.

Blaine smiled at him and said, "This week's session for chemo is over, so I need to take out that IV."

"Right. Here," he raised his arm. Blaine took it, making no noise as he did his work. When he finished, he helped Julian stand up, the drugs making him wobbly. They hobbled out of the room, into the lobby where Derek and Kurt were sitting, talking quietly.

Kurt was whispering rapidly. "He can't deal with that right now. He's already going through this!" Kurt gestured around the room, "How do you expect him to take on another-"

"Oh, hi Julian," Derek nudged Kurt and looked up suddenly, as if relieved to be out of Kurt's warpath.

Jules looked at them suspiciously, "Were you talking about me?"

"Oh, so no _Hi _or _Nice to see you_, just _Were you talking about me. Me me me_," Derek teased.

Though this didn't answer his question, he decided to let the topic drop and corner Derek about it later. "So, I just need to talk to Logan for a few minutes, then we can get out of here, and I'll treat you guys to dinner."

He walked away from the two most important people in his life, and knocked on the oncologist's office door. Hearing "Come in," he gently opened the door and stepped in. Logan looked up from his work and smiled at the sight of Julian.

"So, how was your first session?"

"It felt bizarre, but I think it went well."

Logan looked at him sympathetically, "It's normal to feel weird after because of the effect of the drugs, but you should feel a bit better later- oh! I forgot to ask you this, do you know about the catscan?" Julian just shot him a confused look, so he went on, "Within a few days after the chemo, it's very highly recommended that you come back for a catscan to see how the cancer has regressed."

"Alright… I can come back on Thursday after work, if that's alright?"

"That'll be great," Logan smiled, and they both stood up, shaking each other's hands, and then went back to the bustle which was their lives.

* * *

><p>AN: Hi everyone! I'm so sorry this took so long to update.. Real life caught up with me.

Thank you to everyone who put this in their story updates! You all are amazing.

My tumblr is justfallinloveagain and I sometimes post updates about the fic.

This lovely person has been helping me and she's the most amazing person ever, so please put nice things in her ask box: proverbialsunset

Reading reviews makes me a happy person *wink wink*

I hope to update this soon, and I love you all! 3


	4. Chapter 4

When Derek walked into the office for work the next day, he was tired. Heck, he was always tired, what with all the insane clients he and Jules had. Plus the fact that he now had to make time for Casey, the first real girlfriend he'd had in a long time. There was just something about her… Whenever he was around her, he didn't want anybody el-

"Hey D," Julian hid his laughter when Derek jumped a little with surprise.

"Hey Jules," he replied, not noticing the supposedly innocent expression on Julian's face.

"So… when I came out of the chemo room, you and Kurt seemed to be having quite the heated conversation, there…"

Derek looked up guiltily, "Umm, yeah. We were just… talking. Y'know. Talking about… stuff."

Julian smirked, _This'll be easier than I thought!_

"And what exactly were you talking about?"

"Classified information… I'm not allowed to say anything about it," Derek gulped nervously.

Julian came towards Derek, gripping his hands on his shoulders, "We tell each other everything, don't we, D?"

"'twantyoutotakeit," Derek blurted out, grimacing.

"I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that."

"There's a couple… They want you to take up a case in which the state won't allow them to marry." Julian looked at Derek confusedly.

"What kind of case is this? There haven't been any marriage la- Ohh, it's a gay couple, isn't it," Derek nodded and realization spread over Julian features. He contemplated what he just heard for a while, before saying,

"I'll take the case."

* * *

><p>"Hey you," Julian said as he walked into Logan's office.<p>

"Hi, how are you feeling, today? The days after the first time of chemo is always the hardest," Logan replied.

Julian smiled tiredly, "It's been rough, especially with work and everything, but I'm getting by."

"Well, since I know you're busy, the catscan takes only a few minutes, but the part that takes a long time is the waiting. We'll need to inject you with a bit of," the word Logan uttered was completely incomprehensible to Julian's non-medical ears, "and we'll go through with the actual procedure."

"Another shot?" Julian said, semi-exasperatedly.

Logan's eyes flashed momentarily before he regained his composure and said stiffly, "Yes, sorry about that."

Julian noticed the coldness in his tone and composure, and was slightly confused at the change in behavior, "Hey, are you alright? I was just kidding, the shots totally aren't your fault…"

Logan battled within himself, and looked as if he wanted to say _Bitch, I know it's not my fault,_ but instead settled with, "Yeah, I'm fine."

With a dubious look, Julian asked, "Okay, what's up. You're normally a lot nicer than this."

"WHAT?" Logan's face, completely white, distorted to look at Julian with a look of pure rage. Though the thoughts reigning in his head ranged from "Shit, he looks scary" to "How does he get his face to even look like that?" to "He looks really ho-never mind.", Julian kept his mask of nonchalance.

"Yeah, you're normally understanding.. Cool… Nice even. What's up?"

With that, the pressure of anger loosened on Logan, and he appeared sheepish and slightly regretful. "Sorry about that… It just happens sometimes. You would've thought a doctor would be able to solve his own problems, wouldn't you?" The look on his face at that last sentence was one of pure self-loathing, and Julian felt like he was intruding. "Sorry… again."

"Hey, no. It's fine! It's just good to know that you have flaws, instead of being that perfect Dr. Wright-all-the-time," Julian joked to release the tension. "Seriously though, don't be sorry. I understand."

With a grimace, Logan replied, "No you don't, but thanks anyway. So, we'll just start the procedure, and wait it out."

For the next few minutes, Logan bustled around in his room while a nurse (not Blaine this time) brought the materials and pricked Julian. Soon after, the nurse walked out, leaving Julian and Logan to wait until the injection worked its way through his system.

"So… Blaine and Kurt seem a bit _cozy _don't they?" Logan broke the silence, smiling awkwardly at Julian, wondering if his former outburst had scared the other man for good.

Instead of looking startled or frightened, Jules just looked confused, "Wait… Blaine's gay?"

The puzzled look on Julian's face just made Logan burst out laughing. Gasping for breath, he said "Yeah! I actually dated him a while back."

"Y-you did?" Julian felt a sense of - no that wasn't jealousy. "Wait, that's not important... I mean, Kurt always talked about Blaine, and I thought it wasn't a big deal. Good for him, even, since he didn't have many friends, but they're dating?" Julian ranted, almost out of breath.

"Whoa there, soldier. Don't get too ahead of yourself there. I said they looked cozy, not that they were _married._ Although… they act disgustingly lovey enough to be married," Logan's signature smirk flashed.

Julian didn't even hear Logan as he thought of Blaine and Kurt together, "He looks pretty nice, but if he hurts, Kurt, he won't even know what hit him." The faraway look in Julian's eyes told Logan that there was a lot of dirt clouding his past.

"What's wrong?"

"Kurt's been my everything for the past 18 years. Mom passed away when I was 8 and he was 5, and dad while we were in high school. We were all we had for each other, bouncing from home to home until we found the Larsons. They took us in, and made us feel like family again, but even when we found them, Kurt was still my little brother, my rock, my best friend…"

As Julian's eyes started to water, he seemed to realize who he was speaking to, and where he was, and the cloudy look in his eyes sharpened. Logan looked at him sympathetically, but was too unsure of what to say. Julian laughed nervously, and straightened up. "Well, do you think that scan is ready for me?"

Looking at the clock, Logan got up and motioning Julian to the door. "Hey, I know you may not want to come to me since you barely know me, but if you ever need to talk or just vent… I'm always, kay? Seriously, I practically live in this office…"

Julian smiled slightly and nodded, "Thanks, Logan. Now let's go scan the shit out of me."

* * *

><p>"I'll get back to you about those results tomorrow, okay? Also, if it'll help, I can keep an eye on Blaine for you," Logan smiled teasingly, but with an underlying sense of truthfulness.<p>

Julian laughed, "Alright, I'll talk to you tomorrow. Now I have a brother to interrogate."

He waved and walked out to his car, thinking of what he would say when he got home. He didn't want to seem too harsh or nosey, but as an older brother Julian felt the need to protect him to the death no matter what.

"HONEY, I'M HOME," Julian shouted cheekily.

"Very funny," Kurt deadpanned, though the corners of his mouth twitched. "How was it?"

"It was alright… I heard some interesting news though: you and Blaine certainly seem to have grown closer."

Kurt's face turned red as he stuttered, "We're just friends, Jules. Just friends."

"That's certainly not what I heard… Plus he's gay right?" he asked carefully since he knew he was on unsafe territory.

The blush on his face turned even darker, "But we're just friends," Kurt muttered, "If only Blaine could take hints…"

"So you do like the puffy haired hobbit," Julian's eyes shot up. So Blaine wasn't taking advantage of him. It seemed like Blaine was just as shy and unyielding as Kurt. Still didn't change the fact that Blaine would be in a lot of trouble if he even heard mention of his brother getting hurt…

The deer-in-the-headlights look on Kurt's face amused his brother, "Kinda…"

"Well, I have some sources that say he likes you too. Maybe you guys should try a date?"

"Maybe…"

* * *

><p>Hi guys! Sorry it took me so long to actually post this! School and life have been hectic...<p>

Once again, send some love to Sophie (proverbialsunset) because she's my inspiration.

Reviews make me happy *hint hint* Please?

I love you all, talk to you again soon! (hopefully)


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